Graduate Student of the Month
The Carl R. Ice College of Engineering recognizes one outstanding graduate student from each department during the academic year. This program was established to enhance graduate student recognition and development. Students are nominated each month by their department heads.
October 2025 recognitions
Holt’s research examines how the degradation of concrete and masonry materials affects the structural performance, durability and service life of existing structures. It further aims to evaluate effective rehabilitation and preservation techniques that can be implemented to mitigate deterioration, restore integrity and extend structural longevity. Holt is from Wichita, Kansas, and her hobbies include cooking, hiking, traveling, plants, fishing, hunting and her dog, Ollie. Her favorite food is Chinese food, and her top bucket list item is to one day travel to Ireland or Finland.
Arabi’s research focuses on sugar purification, specifically, to contribute to the production of healthy products within the food industry. Arabi is from Iran, and her hobbies include dancing and listening to pop music. Her favorite snack is chips, and her top bucket list item is to visit and work for the Pringles chip company.
Zaman’s research focuses on understanding soil physicochemical environments that favor surfactin biosynthesis by bacillus subtilis and their role in soil moisture dynamics. Zaman is from Bangladesh, and his favorite hobby is tennis. His favorite food is Khicuri, and his top bucket list item is to get a job in Singapore.
Bani Hani’s research is investigating the effect of lateral restraining plate width on the experimental lateral torsional buckling loads of simple beams with arbitrary layups. This study investigated the effect of lateral restraining plate width on the experimental lateral torsional buckling loads of simple beams with arbitrary layups. Experimental, numerical and analytical methods are used to assess the stability and performance of these beams, providing insights into their structural behavior under loading conditions. Bani Hani is from Jordan, and his hobbies include traveling, hiking, swimming and playing snooker. His favorite food is steak, and his bucket list includes traveling to Norway and Switzerland, going skydiving and snowboarding in Turkey.
Das’ research focuses on applying neurosymbolic XAI methods to multimodal data to make their decision-making process more transparent. Das is from Bangladesh, and his hobbies include sleeping, indoor gaming and gardening. His favorite foods are mutton biriani and fish, and his top bucket list item is to visit all the Seven Wonders of the World.
Diehl’s research focuses on detecting defects in rail road tracks using time domain reflectometry, measuring the propagation delay of electrical reflections off the defect under varying environmental conditions. Diehl is from Kansas, and his hobbies include history, photography and playing board games with friends. He is still looking for his favorite food, and his top bucket list item is to visit every Presidential Library.
Raihan’s research focuses on ultrasonic machining of advanced engineering materials such as “Zerodur” zero expansion glass and monocrystalline silicon. Specifically, he is studying the material removal mechanism to facilitate ductile regime machining of hard and brittle materials along with predictive cutting force modeling. Raihan is from Bangladesh, and his hobbies include traveling and soccer. His favorite food is roast Polao, and his top bucket list item is to travel through Europe.
Lee’s research focuses on aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, specifically, utilizing CFD to understand the impacts of KFm airfoil geometry on leading and trailing edge vortices. Lee is from Ottawa, Kansas, and his hobbies include photography, hiking, hunting and fishing. His favorite food is birria tacos, and his top bucket list item is to build a car to compete in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb Open Class.